What would it be like to live here. . . Castle Valley Outdoors

My Uncle Glendon passed away this fall.  He was loving, generous and so good to us as his extended family.  I haven't been able to write about his funeral yet--I will, but not yet.

My sister-in-law Brodi wrote a really beautiful account of his funeral that made me cry--here's the link.

Here, I am going to write about something he created in the high desert plateau of central Utah--in Emery County, Utah to be exact. It might just be my favorite place on earth and we have been able to spend our Thanksgiving there for years and years. This Thanksgiving I was extra grateful to him for allowing us to be part of his family.

You can get to Castle Valley Ranch from I-70,

from the Moore Cutoff Road (this is a nice little drafty cottage),

















and from Utah State Highway 10 that goes from Price to Emery--my favorite highway in the world and I have to drive it in the daylight. If I don't get to see the scenery in the light I get a little cranky. This is a must because when I drive out of Spanish Fork Canyon and turn on to Highway 10 the sky opens up and I feel free! With only 8 inches of precipitation a year it is incredibly dry but the flip side of that it is also ecstatically sunny!


















Here is a long view of Castle Valley Outdoors--Castle Valley Lodge on right, Muddy Creek Lodge in the middle and Pioneer House on the left (hidden by trees).

 Views, view everywhere

 Camaraderie in the cold

 Sparse and hardy vegetation

There is fish in that thar pond!

Fire pit for s'mores

 Seriously, someone in our family left gasoline out--just so my son's eyebrows could almost get singed off.

Breakfast view

Windy walk around the lake

 Sunset on the fields

 Sunset on the plateau

















Time to go home. I hate to go back home.

Thank you Uncle Glendon for a life well lived and great memories we all treasure.